A Stroke of Bad Luck: Remastered
by SepticMind
Summary: The sequel to "Friday 13th: Remastered". While a threat quietly grows in the shadows of Gotham, the team find themselves divided between the troubles at home and the troubles of former mentors as villains of the past seek retribution. .


**Disclaimer**: I do not possess any ownership over the Teen Titans animation, comics, or any of the characters. This is a work of fan fiction posted for the free enjoyment of internet users. All rights belong to DC Comics and Warner Brothers.

**If you haven't already, please read "Friday 13th: Remastered" before reading this** – this is a sequel. No promises on the update rate of this one – I've got both an art college course and work to attend with. That doesn't leave much free time for writing. Hope you all enjoy, and feel free to leave a review ;)

And a quick note on "Friday 13th" (original version). Due to the amount of feedback I've received it will be staying on the site and I won't be taking it down.

* * *

Something was throbbing, and it took Raven a minute to realise what she was feeling was a headache. A bad one. Slowly, she began to pick up on other things; voices, though the words meant nothing to her, a sharp smell that burnt the back of her nose when she inhaled and the feeling of something soft against her skin – cotton sheets.

Eventually the voices began to take shape, the words piecing together and becoming recognisable.

"-can't just leave my team mates alone forever, just waiting."

"So you're going to give up on her?"

"Cy, I've seen enough people – classmates, _friends_ – go through comas to know where this is gonna end. It's been a _month_, and this healing bullshit? You _said_ she'd wake up when she'd finished healing! She came out of that a _week_ ago!"

Something about the stressed voice tugged at the very core of her being, but it took her a moment to recognise it as Jinx's voice. Everything suddenly surged back to her; Gizmo and Mammoth at the tower, finding Jinx, the Shadow…

"Because that's what's always happened in the past. There's a lot about Rae we don't know or understand. She was badly injured – maybe she's _still_ healing herself."

Cyborg. Raven opened her eyes, the bright light only adding to her headache and she was blind for a moment. No one noticed the small movement.

"Well I can't sit and wait anymore. I need to do… _something!_ If she wakes up, she knows where to find me."

Raven scowled at that, and despite doubting she even had the energy to talk she tried, desperate to gain Jinx's attention. "If you walk out that door 'she' won't need to know where to find you. She won't be looking."

Her voice was weak and strained but Cyborg and Jinx heard it, both looking round at her in shock. There was a moment of complete silence before Jinx rushed forward, all but jumping on the empath as she reached the bed to draw her into a hug.

"Oww."

"Sorry!" Jinx apologised as she quickly moved so her weight was on her knees of the edge of the bed and not on Raven. "You're awake!" she grinned, the smile turning into a frown a few seconds later. "You're awake," she repeated, though this time she sounded angry.

Before Raven could process the change Jinx had punched her squarely on the jaw and pain and shock blinded the empath. Cyborg rushed forward and dragged Jinx off the bed, restraining her.

"Yo! Don't _make_ me arrest you for unprovoked assault."

"Unprovoked?!" Jinx spat, glaring at Raven. "She _lied _to me!" Addressing the woman she continued, "Back in the alley way and after, when we were talking, you said that was it! That there was nothing else I needed to know! We agreed to no more secrets you… _bitch_!"

Raven didn't attempt to defend herself as she looked away from the thief, mumbling, "I didn't know how to tell you."

"Fuck you. There were plenty of opportunities. Like when you told me you were half demon. Or how about when you admitted the Shadow was after you? The café when you were talking about demon names!"

The empath made herself sit up despite the burning pain eating up her back. Sitting up made her feel better – less defenceless and more in control. "You never told me your parents names."

"Because they're nobodies! Their names wouldn't mean anything to you! They're not _Trigon_!"

The thief shrugged herself out of Cyborg's hold and stormed out of the room. The atmosphere was thick and heavy as Raven massaged her jaw in silence.

"You know she's not actually that angry with you," Cyborg eventually said, and Raven stared at him in disbelief.

"She _hit_ me."

"Yeah, she did. You've also been hitting each other for the past seven or so years. I discharged her from my care three weeks ago. She could have left at any point, but she didn't. She spent most of those three weeks in here with you," he told her. "I couldn't step in here without getting assaulted with questions. 'Why isn't she awake?', 'When will she wake up?', 'Why hasn't the healing trance started?' Hell, I've practically had to force feed her and I don't think she's even been getting three hours sleep a night."

Raven's expression softened. "How is she? Physically?"

"When I first assessed her she had a minor head trauma, some wicked bruises and couldn't keep anything in her stomach," Cyborg answered as he sat down on the edge of the cot. "It was four days before she could stomach a glass of water and six before she could manage food. She's got kidney damage from the amount of drugs shoved through her system; no way of telling if it's permanent though. So long as she drinks plenty of fluids she shouldn't have a problem – will be more prone to kidney infections though."

The woman nodded. "It could have been worse. Alright; next question. Why is she even allowed in Titans Tower? Didn't Robin… I don't know, freak out or something?"

"He freaked out. I think we all did. I mean your girlfriend is one of Jump's most wanted criminals."

"I was never expecting any of you to understand or approve."

"Yeah. Well after you left the Tower Robin actually promised Gizmo and Mammoth that not only would we bring Jinx back safe, we'd let her walk out free as soon as she was able. He kept his promise. He wasn't too happy when Jinx refused to leave the tower – in fact I believe they spent about an hour shouting at each other over it – but Robin eventually compromised with strict ground rules. No wandering around the Tower on her own, no touching equipment… you get the idea. Jinx didn't even try to argue, just accepted it on the spot."

"She just stormed out of here on her own," Raven pointed out.

"The rules have relaxed slightly over the weeks considering she hasn't stepped out of line even once. Hell, she even helps Starfire clean the dishes after meals on occasion. But like I said, she pretty much sat in here twenty-four hours a day. She really does care for you." The robotic Titan got to his feet. "Do I even want to know how you two managed to become an item?"

"It's… a long story."

"Well how about you tell it while I run a check on you?"

He hadn't expected Raven to agree, but she did, watching Cyborg as he checked on the machines she was hooked up to, writing down notes. "It started shortly after the fight with the H.I.V.E in the jewellers. The building that collapsed?"

"You mean when she screwed up your leg?"

Raven nodded. "She'd tried to immobilise me and well, I guess it worked. Then she just… kissed me." She felt her cheeks flush red but tried to ignore her embarrassment. "At the time I felt more… angry than anything else. She gave me a number, told me to call her then they ran off."

"You got set up," Cyborg grinned.

"You have no idea. We got into that fight later on, when I sort of strangled her. I wanted to know what she was playing at. It'd been plaguing my mind all day, and I sort of snapped. After the fight, Robin and I got into that argument and in a rash decision I called the number. I'd kept it originally thinking we could trace her. We met up, we talked, and I still didn't trust her."

"It _could_ have been a trap," then man scowled, and Raven raised her arm so he could take her blood pressure, wrapping the thick band round her arm.

"I was expecting it to be a trap."

"You know you should have told us."

"Told you what? '_Hey Robin, I'm going to meet up with Jinx because she kissed me and said some stuff and I want to make things straight.'_ I was embarrassed and angry at Robin and angry at Jinx and I'm not very good at doing the right _or_ logical thing when I'm angry."

"We know."

"Nothing happened, we parted ways and then the bodies started appearing. We didn't know who the killer was and I thought that Jinx might know. The underground circuit is tightly knit after all so I arranged for us to meet up again and… I don't know. I kept finding pathetic reasons for me to meet up with her and one thing led to another. Turns out it _was_ a trap. The H.I.V.E had planned to eventually out it out to the public in an attempt to alienate me and get me off the team, leaving them with one less Titan to worry about."

"_What_?"

"Jinx had a change of heart. She told me everything, I was upset – as far as I was concerned we were done with each other – but she convinced me to stay and listen. I should have just walked. Any sane person would have."

Removing the band from her arm, Cyborg laughed, "Damn, you have it bad."

"Have what bad?" Raven asked, but he didn't answer, grinning to himself.

"I'm going to keep you hooked up to the heart monitor for a bit, and leave the drip in. You _seem_ to be okay, but I wanna be cautious. Jinx wasn't lying; you've been out for almost a month now."

Raven let him change the subject. "How badly was I injured?"

"Your right hand was completely crushed, your left leg broken in two places and your right hip dislocated. You had one shattered rib and two more broken, a disk in your spine broken and a hairline fracture on your skull." Cyborg listed. "Add a good few lacerations and plenty of bruising and it about sums it up. We really were worried you wouldn't pull through and if you did, it was only one disk in your spine but it had nicked your spinal cord. There was a good chance you could have become paralyzed from about the shoulders down. Obviously you managed to sit up, so I don't think we have to worry about that anymore. I had to treat you like a human patient up until the third week when you went into a healing trance. Once you're completely healed we're going to have to take some more blood to store for transfusions. I just about used up all our stock for you." He watched Raven study herself in amazement, checking every bone in her right hand.

"I didn't realise I could heal so much."

"Yeah, neither did we." Cyborg replied, and he didn't sound impressed. "What still hurts?"

"My back," Raven told him. "My head. My ribs. Just about everything, to some degree. I had a building dropped on me after all."

"I don't think I need to tell you that you're not moving from this bed today, maybe even tomorrow depending on how things look. That also means you're off duty until further notice. I'm going to let the others know you're awake. No doubt Robin will want a word with you. You want anything to drink?"

"Some water, please. And if I'm going to bed bound a book wouldn't go amiss."

"Any one in particular?"

"The one on my desk will suffice," Raven told him. "Touch anything else in my room and you're dead."

"Yes Ma'am."

She let herself relax as Cyborg left the room before throwing back the covers. Everything protested against the action and she had to sit still a moment before she could move to check over her legs, trying to find the evidence of the break the Titan had mentioned. She was covered in bruises, most the sickly yellow colour a bad bruise will go after a few weeks, though there were still some that were a deep purple. There were no signs of a cast having been put on her left leg – or anywhere else – but then Cyborg had never put her breaks in casts, not that she'd had many. The empath usually healed too fast to bother with them, and her bones always seemed to knit themselves back into shape however bad the break. Scars littering her body, all a shiny purple colour, let her know where the lacerations Cyborg had mentioned were but they didn't worry her. Within the next few weeks her skin would look perfect again. Pulling the covers back over her she went back to studying her right hand. The joints were stiff and she had to focus to move her fingers though Raven wasn't sure if that was due to the bones still healing or the thick scar tissue that made up of most of the skin. That too would no doubt heal with time. She had both hands held out in front of her when the infirmary door opened, trying to spot any differences in the shape of her hands.

Starfire rushed in, a huge smile on her face as she landed beside the bed and leaned down to hug the empath, being much more careful than Jinx had. "You are awake! We were all very worried. How do you feel?"

"Like I've had a building dropped on me," She replied dryly. "I'm okay. Just sore. How are the hostages?" Raven asked as the alien pulled back.

"They are all home with their families and doing most well," Starfire told her. "They were all thankful, and wished you a speedy recovery along with a lot of people in the city. Some have even been sending cards, and you got cards off all our friends but Cyborg wouldn't let me put them in here because he said he needed to the space to work."

Raven smiled slightly. "How are you?"

"Most good, now that you are awake. We were all most worried about you."

"So, are you going to lecture me about Jinx?"

"No," she replied simply.

"No?"

"I see no reason to. While I was initially upset that you did not feel you could confide in me I understand why you might have chosen not to. As I said before, so long as she does nothing to upset or hurt you, I have no quarrel with her."

"Cyborg said she'd been helping you with the chores."

"Occasionally, when she seeks company. We talked a little. Robin is still worried that it may affect the team negatively, but I have no such worries. You managed to make it work while you were hiding it from us, and I believe you will be able to continue to make it work." She pulled a chair over and sat down. "Beast Boy is on patrol at the moment and will not be back until later, so if he does not come to see you soon it is not because he does not care."

"How have things been while I've been out?"

"Busy, at first. Your condition was announced on the news several times, and I believe many criminals thought they'd have a better chance of beating us with you down. It was hard but we managed, and everything eventually went back to normal. We have faced the Doctor Light, Red X multiple times, Johnny Rancid, Kitten, Killer Moth and the man with the spider face. We've also been helping the police. A… gang war, I believe Robin called it, had started between avenue 23 and 25 off Main Street. I do not understand the point behind these rivalries, and Jinx's explanation didn't help me understand it anymore."

"It's two gangs fighting over a corner on a road – I don't understand it either," Raven told her with a smile. "You… haven't heard anything from the Church of Blood, have you?"

"No," Starfire shook her head. "Should we have?"

Raven shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I'm happy with 'no' as an answer."

"Is the Shadow really gone now?"

The empath looked away from her as she nodded. "He's gone for good."

"We didn't find a body." Starfire told her.

"You wouldn't have. He dissipated."

"And you saw this?"

She looked at the alien princess, holding her gaze. "I saw his dissipate; f_elt _him leave this realm. He really is gone for good. It's over."

Starfire smiled. "Good." She suddenly shot to her feet, a look of excitement on her feet. "Silky will want to see you! I shall go fetch him!"

"That's… unnecessary." The girl hadn't heard her – she'd left the room before Raven could even finish. She sighed, but didn't try to call her back, not sure she could manage to shout. She didn't like Silkie, and she was pretty sure Silkie didn't like her either, but she knew it would make Starfire happier and that was almost enough to make her at least pretend to like the mutant larva.

She barely got a minute to herself before Robin entered the room, carrying a glass of water and a book. Raven didn't say anything as she watched her leader wearily.

"Cyborg told me to give you these," he told her as he put them down on the small table next to the bed. "It's good to see you awake."

"If one more person gives me some variation of 'we were worried' or 'we though you weren't going to wake up' I'm going to flip out and give you a reason to be worried," she tried to joke, and Robin smiled slightly.

"Then I won't say it." He sat down on the chair Starfire had vacated. "How are you feeling?"

"Rough," she shrugged as she went to grab the glass of water with her right hand. The tendons in her hand twitched as soon as she tried to lift its weight and she was quick to put it down again so it didn't spill, an embarrassed blush staining her cheeks. She couldn't meet Robin's eyes as she pulled her hand back, holding it on her lap.

"You've only just woken up, we're not expecting you to be fighting fit," Robin told her, before saying, "Here,"

Raven looked round to find the young man holding the glass out for her. She felt her cheeks get hotter but carefully took it with her left hand. "Thank you."

"What happened, after we left?" Robin asked. "Do you remember?"

She nodded stiffly. She was looking at her leader but her gaze was blank, her mind back in the old temple under the disused library. "I… I just kept punching him. Again and again until I'd lost count. I was just so _angry_. The wall I had him pinned against collapsed and he tried to crawl away. I had him by the neck, lifted in the air. He let me and used his height to kick me until I dropped him, then again, the last time into a wall." She could still hear the building's groan of protest, smell the dust as it rained down on them. The adrenaline and excitement rushed back to her and she shifted uncomfortably as she tried to suppress it; lock it back into a tiny box in her mind. "He went to kick me again and I grabbed his foot. I swung him round into the wall next to me, then did it again. I… dropped him. Stood on his hand when he tried to get up. I said some cruel things I do not wish to repeat. I straddled him and took his throat in my hand again…"

_Raven couldn't help but notice how spongy the shadowy mass felt. Like wet moss. As she squeezed tighter wisps of smoke curled past her fingers and round her hand, slowly vanishing and Raven knew it was Damien slowly dying, the energy draining from him. A twisted smile on her lips, she put her free hand on Damien's shoulders and gripped tight. She would have loved to toy with him, to drag it out for as long as she could, but he had threatened her mate, and he needed to be eliminated. Ripping his head off was the only sure way. _

_The muscles in her arms tensed, rippling under her grey skin. Something hit the back of her head, the pain sharp and sudden and she let go of the creature to hold the back of her head, feeling her blood hot and sticky against her hand. Damien grabbed the chunk of stone from the ceiling that had hit her and smashed it into the side of her face. White spots of pain filled her vision and she rolled off him before he could hit her again. The injuries only made her rage increase until Raven was sure she was going to explode from the pressure. A crack appeared in the wall closest to her, running up until it hit the ceiling of the chambers. She could hear more factures in the stone appear as energy overflowed the limits of her body and attacked its surroundings, but they didn't worry her. _

_Cold hands pinned her wrists to the floor and Damien's unformed face appeared within her line of sight. "Summon Trigon, _now_." _

_She looked at him a moment before staring past him to the ceiling, bored. "No." She tried to lift her wrists off the ground but she couldn't lift them more than a few millimetres. The demoness was stronger than him, there was no debating that, but he had the advantage with his position. _

"_Stop being so bloody stubborn. You're going to do it, sooner or later." _

"_Earth is mine," she repeated in a low growl, her angry red eyes finding his face again. As she watched him an idea formed, and smiling she shifted under him, stretching her body out across the cold floor. "It could be yours, too. That's what you want, isn't it? Power? Power I could give you." She knew she had his attention. "Trigon won't appreciate you. He won't reward you for your service. Surely you know that. But I would." _

_He didn't notice the ink black tendrils that rose above him, four of them with needle sharp ends. Damien's grip on her wrists weakened. "And what about the Titans?" _

"_They're easy enough to deal with. Let me worry about them." _

"… _Let's hear your offer then," he told the demon gruffly, and she just smiled wider. _

_His entire body jerked as the four tendrils pierced through his chest and abdomen, protruding out the other side. Once again Raven was disappointed he didn't bleed, feeling as though she'd been cheated of some of the fun._

"_They say Pride is the original sin," she told him. "But I'm not so sure. Is it pride you feel? Pride, that makes you so confident I'd want anything to do with the lowly likes of you? Or is it just greed? Maybe you just don't know when you've had enough." _

_The ends of the tendrils hooked over, trapping him, and she lifted him up so she could get to her feet, casually dusting herself down as Damien hung above her, unable to do anything to help his situation. She could feel his pain burning away at him and just stood for a moment, enjoying the sight as the building continued to groan and creak around them. She soon became bored, and straightening the barbs of her soul self she threw him off with one smooth flick of the tendrils, his body crashing into the wall as limp as a rag doll. The rock started to crumble away and without Raven's touch the debris fell straight through him. _

_Fuelled by sick curiosity, she moved over to him and bent down; laying her hand on Damien's shoulder so he would solidify. The debris that had passed through him became trapped within the boundaries of his form, and she asked, "Does that hurt?"_

"_I've felt worse," he replied, his voice weak. _

_Raven stood, letting go of him. There was an almost deafening sound from above, but Raven ignored it as she wrapped a tendril of her soul self around his neck, another going around his shoulder. "Tell my father I said hello. And tell him he might as well give up; he is not getting earth." _

_All it took was one sure tug. His body began to break up almost instantly, turning into wisps of smoke. Raven had been planning to wait until he was completely gone, to make sure he wasn't coming back, but the building didn't have the same plan and Raven looked up in alarm as one of the walls collapsed completely, a thick sheet of dust giving her only a millisecond's warning that the roof was going to follow. There was a moment of intense pain…_

Then nothing. Raven's memory ended there, but then she couldn't have been expected to remember anything if she were unconscious. "I… put him through a few walls." She told him feebly. "It must have weakened the structure enough to make it collapse."

"Damien is dead though?" Robin asked.

"Yes. I… _decapitated_ him," she admitted, "just to make sure. His body – the magic making up his body – broke up. He's not coming back."

"Good. When you're feeling well enough, Commissioner Storr will want a statement so he can file the paperwork. Running off like that was reckless and stupid, as was facing him on your own… but you got the job done, and six lives were saved. Well done." Robin's awkward but friendly demeanour didn't last very long, and as his face pulled into a scowl Raven knew exactly what he was going to talk about next. "About you and Jinx-"

"I do not expect you to understand or accept it but I will not 'dump' her." She quickly told him. "I will not allow you to force me into choosing between Jinx and the team."

"She's a criminal, Raven. You can't expect this to actually work out?"

The empath shrugged, wincing as her body protested. "It's worked out so far, hasn't it?"

"I don't know. Has it? When Jinx escaped from the H.I.V.E's last robbery you'd gone after her. Had the body really distracted you, or had you _let_ her escape?" Robin asked, and Raven didn't answer, struggling to keep eye contact with him. "I need to be able to trust you to do your job and right now I can't. I can't trust you to treat Jinx like any other criminal."

"I keep work and personal time separate," Raven frowned. "I don't feel any sympathy for her and I certainly don't agree with what she does."

Robin's eyes narrowed. "_Fine_. Say you CAN continue to do your job, what do you think the media are going to think? I _assume_ you go out on dates in public. I don't know how you've kept people noticing for this long, but it's bound to get out sooner or later. The public will begin to mistrust us, the government might cut back on our funds and what about other heroes? I doubt there is even one person out there who would stop and think, _'You know what? Maybe it's not a bad thing. Maybe Jinx doesn't get any special treatment because of it.'_ If we fail to catch them at a crime scene people are going to be suspicious. If they break out of jail, people are going to be suspicious. Raven, it _isn't_ going to work out. It _can't_."

"You don't know that," She growled, Robin's statement coming too soon after Jinx walking out on her. "Let them think what they want - I couldn't care less. The public doesn't like me anyway; what difference does it make?"

"You don't exactly make yourself approachable," Robin told her stiffly. "And this isn't going to help."

"Because I don't _want_ to be approachable! I'm not a Titan for the media attention, or for the fans. I became a Titan because I wanted to do _one_ good thing with my life. Because I thought it would somehow make up for the terrible things I was destined to do. I'm _still_ a Titan because I'm _afraid_ of what I could still become and this gives me something to focus on. Something to aim for."

"How have you been keeping a low profile when you've been with Jinx?" Robin asked after a few moments of stubborn silence.

"At first, magic. Glamour spells, to change my hair colour. We also got into the habit of meeting up after dark. After coming back from Gotham I kept the holo-ring, and I've used that once."

"…Keep using it," he told her, still clearly unhappy. "Get Cyborg to change the appearance to something you're more comfortable with, if you want, but I don't want you going out to see Jinx without it, understand?"

Raven nodded, though the moment was tight and jerky. She wasn't happy with the idea, but it was something at least.

"When you're back on duty we'll be working out new tactics for dealing with Jinx and her team. I don't want you going anywhere near her during combat. I don't exactly want you going anywhere near Gizmo and Mammoth either, but that's not going to be possible. And I _don't_ like having her in the tower."

"I was unconscious – I had nothing to do with that," Raven told him. Robin was scowling so hard the empath was sure it was going to leave permanent marks.

"I'm aware of that. Now, Red X. Don't lie to me – the other day at Star Labs that _was_ more than Red X being the 'anti-hero'. He singled you out for a reason, didn't he?"

"We… maybe got to know each other over a few drinks at some point," Raven mumbled and Robin held the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger as he let out a frustrated sigh.

"While we're on the subject, are there any other criminal you've been socialising with?"

"Not that we deal with, no."

"You realise you're putting yourself in a really dangerous position, don't you?"

"I don't talk to Jinx about her heists and Gizmo won't plan them when I'm around anyway. And same goes for Red X, ignoring the fact that it was _one_ evening. He's not a friend or someone I was planning to talk to at all. I'm not withholding any information that could help in any case against the criminals in question because I don't know any of it." That was a lie, sort of. She didn't discuss heists with any of them, but she did know Red X's first name, and what he looked like. Luckily Robin didn't push the subject of Red X, picking up on something else she'd said instead.

"'_Gizmo won't plan them when you're around'?_ You know where their base is?"

"Robin, don't. Please."

"Raven, that's withholding information. You could get charged for obstructing a police investigation."

"The place is rigged up with alarms and security programs and no, I don't know any of the codes. Even if I did tell you, they'd be gone the moment you tried to enter. The information helps no-one."

Robin wasn't convinced. "You asked me not to make you choose between the team and Jinx, but I'm not the one making you. _You _are. Right now. This _can't_ work out."

"It could if you would just back the fuck off!" She didn't quite yell it, but it came close, her voice breaking at the end. She looked away from Robin and crossed her arms across her chest. The movement pulled and her back and shoulder muscles and her arms pressed on her ribs, causing her pain, but she was too stubborn to try and change her position.

They sat in silence for close to five minutes, Robin too stubborn to leave and Raven bedbound by orders. She eventually turned to look at him, trying a different approach.

"Please, Robin. This isn't some… fling. Something I'm doing for fun. I didn't _choose_ for this to happen. You saw how angry I was with her after at fight where the building collapsed and that's why. That was when she first… _showed_ her interest. I was angry and upset and only met up with her the first time to get her to back off and even when I could stand to call our meetings 'dates' I spent every second of the time lecturing myself – hating myself for it. But weirdly enough it's been working. She didn't freak out or push me away when she learnt I was half demon. She made _me_ sit down and explain it all to her so she could understand. She made me feel almost normal. Not that it matters now," she eventually muttered, looking away from him again. "Damien told her about Trigon. That I hadn't mentioned in case she'd decide to sell me out to the public. I wasn't stupid with what I told her – I was always aware of the threat of her using me. She hasn't taken it as well and she stormed out of here not over an hour ago."

"Well that was… _honest_." Robin cleared his throat after a moment, telling her awkwardly, "She's still in the Tower. I passed her in the common room on the way here. She _did_ look pretty pissed off, but we don't exactly chat, so…" The empath didn't know how to take that, and realising she wasn't going to get a comment Robin stood. "I've got several leads on Red X's activity that I need to continue working on. If you're feeling up to eating at dinner time maybe we can convince Cyborg to let you out of the infirmary."

Raven looked up at him and nodded slightly. "I do dislike being in here."

"I know. The fact that you haven't tried to leave already tells us exactly how bad you're still feeling. Give us a call if you need anything."

"Thanks, but Starfire was coming back after she found Silkie."

"Right. Just… think about what I said, please." He turned and left without another word, and Raven went back to staring at the sheets covering her.

Now she'd voiced her worries about Jinx she couldn't seem to shake them from her mind and quickly found herself wishing Starfire would hurry up and give her some distraction.

* * *

It was nearing the end of the day when the last person Raven had expected to see again walked into the infirmary. Despite Cyborg's earlier attempts at cheering the Titan up, Raven knew she'd at least hurt the woman if not destroyed what trust Jinx had for her, and she knew Jinx's temper was volatile at best. Raven had resigned herself to looking for the thief once she'd recovered, so she didn't know how to react to the sight of the hex-caster holding a mug in each hand as she approached the bed.

"So, this demon thing? If you're Trigon's daughter, when I'm rotting in hell does that mean you could get me like, a hall pass or something? You know, a short break from the pain and suffering part?"

Raven put down the book she'd been reading, watching Jinx cautiously. "No. Hell is governed by its own creatures and rules. If you'd promised your soul to Trigon however, I... could perhaps work _something_ out with him."

Jinx came to a stop at the edge of the bed. "And if I'd promised my soul to you?"

"I don't collect souls, Jinx."

"Don't, or can't?"

"Don't."

The hex caster passed her one of the mugs before sitting on the edge of the bed. "I thought you might want a drink. I'm still angry at you though. For not telling me."

"I didn't know how to tell you," Raven repeated her earlier words. "Since I could first speak it was something I was never supposed to share with outsiders and well, it's _Trigon_ – it's like trying to tell someone you love you've got terminal cancer. Sometimes it feels like if you don't tell them, maybe you can somehow protect them from it."

"Well that's stupid. That's not protecting them at all. That's just delaying their pain and creating misunderstanding."

"Pain? That's what this is to you? Painful?"

"_Yes_. I thought we were being honest with each other only to find out you weren't. That hurt."

"…I'm sorry," Raven eventually told her, and Jinx accepted it with a nod.

"I'm going to ask you one last time. Is there anything else I need to know?"

The empath didn't even hesitate. "The Shadow was created by the Church of Blood, a cult who worship Trigon. He wanted me to open a portal that would allow my father to cross into this dimension."

"The Shadow told me as much."

"That's where I was in Gotham. At the main church."

"That's why you were so upset when you came over that day?" Jinx asked, and Raven nodded.

"I managed to confirm my suspicions about their involvement but I did something stupid and the Church almost got what they wanted." She took a sip of her tea before continuing. "On my eighteenth birthday I opened a portal and my father crossed over. I managed to fight back in the end and return him to his interdimensional prison but that's why the old building is the place I dislike the most. The rooms the Shadow kept you in were part of a temple built for the worship of my father."

"Why open the portal in the first place?" The thief asked.

"Because of a prophecy that was written before my birth. A prophecy that predicted the end of mankind and the start of Trigon's rule. That predicted _how_ he would do that through me. Trigon's no romantic – he didn't couple with Arella out of some twisted sense of love or desire. He did it to create me. A child who would fulfil the prophecy – give him access to earth and its residing dimension."

"So you didn't have a choice?"

"I don't know. If you'd have asked me before I would have said it was unavoidable – that it was going to happen and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it – but now I wonder if maybe it could have been avoided."

Jinx frowned. "So why don't I remember it?"

"A demon is a creature with an innate talent for magic – strong magic. The more powerful the demon, the stronger the talent. Then you have demon lords. Demon Lords are known as such because they have land they rule over. My father earned the title 'Destroyer of Worlds' because of how many dimensions he has conquered. Demon Lords have the ability to warp the fabric of the dimensions to an extent. Trigon _changed_ Earth's reality to a barren wasteland of harsh stone and lava. Buildings mere skeletons of themselves and its inhabitants stone. You were all… frozen in place and time."

"Could you do that?" Jinx asked.

She shrugged. "Probably not. I have neither the souls nor the lesser demons to take power from. And I've never tried. Although, I did manage to pause time all together one time. It _was_ an accident, but who knows?"

"You… _what?!_" Jinx yelped, her eyes wide. "What exactly am I dating here?!"

Raven smiled bitterly. "The daughter of Trigon."

The thief just sat there in silence, only really beginning to understand what that meant. The Shadow had told her and taken plenty of enjoyment out of it, but it had just been words. A name. A scary name, but the reality hadn't really clicked.

A minute passed in silence, and Raven looked away uncomfortably. She was waiting for Jinx to tell her it was over, that she couldn't date something like that. Raven wanted to leave the room – if she wasn't there Jinx couldn't break up with her – but Cyborg still had her hooked up to machines. Her hands grabbed fistfuls of the duvet covering her instead.

It got to the point where Raven couldn't stand it anymore, the silence driving her mad. She forced herself to look at the woman. "Jinx?"

Jinx still failed to reply – didn't even look at her – and Raven swallowed hard, something in her chest breaking. She almost choked on her next words.

"You don't have to stay here. You can go – I'd understand."

"Do you want me to go?" Jinx asked quietly.

Raven quickly shook her head. No, she didn't, but her words weren't so certain. "I want you to do what _you_ want to do."

The hex caster started to move and for one heart-shattering second Raven was sure she was standing to leave. Jinx wasn't though, and she put her mug down before swinging her legs up on the bed and lying down on the dangerously narrow space between Raven and the edge of the mattress. She put her head on the halfling's chest in the dip between her breast and shoulder, wrapping her arm tightly around the woman's waist.

Nothing was said as Raven moved so she could put her right arm under the thief and round to her waist, her left hand – the arm with the catheter still attached – holding onto Jinx's arm around her waist. Her eyes stung as they threatened to tear up but she bit back the sudden impulse to cry. Raven hated crying.

The empath shifted slightly across the bed, pulling Jinx with her and further away from the edge before she looked down at what she could see of Jinx's face, the woman's large frown impossible to miss.

"I really am sorry," Raven said.

"I know," Jinx looked up, offering her a watery smile. "And I'm glad you're okay." She sniffed slightly, moving her hand to rub at her pink eyes before she told the halfling, "Cyborg told me to ask if you thought you could stomach anything to eat."

She thought about it for a moment before shrugging. "I suppose I won't know until I try."

"I'll let him know," Jinx replied, but she didn't move to get up, resting her head back on the empath's shoulders.

"Cyborg ran through his medical checks on you with me. How are you feeling?" Raven asked.

"A lot better than I was," she shrugged. "Still keep getting bad stomach cramps but Cy says they'll pass soon enough."

"He also said you haven't been eating properly."

Jinx shrugged again, Raven able to hear the scowl in her voice. "It's kinda hard to think about food when you're worried. Maybe if _you_ hadn't decided to go comatose on us there wouldn't have been a problem."

"Oh, great. Next time then I'll just decide _not_ to go into a coma." The empath replied dryly, and Jinx laughed slightly before telling her seriously,

"Don't let there be a 'next time'."

"I didn't plan to have a building dropped on my head."

"Yeah but couldn't you have like, I dunno, teleported your ass out of there?"

"I was… distracted."

"By what?"

"The architecture," Raven muttered sarcastically. "The Shadow."

"…He dead?" Jinx asked quietly.

"Yes."

"Good. I hope it hurt. A lot."

"I did my best."

The reply startled Jinx and she sat up so she could look at the woman. "I can't tell if that was a serious comment or not."

"It wasn't – I was too angry to drag it out any longer than I did, and I wanted to make sure he was gone for good." Raven didn't know what made her say that, and instantly wanted to take it back.

"That's a point. When I suggested you going all demonic on his butt and holding him still while the Titans took him out, you said it was too dangerous. That there was the risk that you wouldn't be able to take back control – you being the cool-headed Titan. Ignoring your slightly disturbing comment just now, you seem to back in control. You don't have any red eyes, anyway."

"I think being unconscious for so long helped," Raven replied, frowning. "I can't say for certain but the walls I place round my mind – the walls that keep my demonic side detached – are something I have been taught to place automatically. Maybe it was just habit."

"Or maybe demonic you isn't all that bad," Jinx suggested.

"It's kind of in the word _demonic_, Jinx. She is _very_ bad."

"Thank you, for coming after me," The thief said quietly after a moment. "Not that I'm helpless – in fact I usually have a particular luck for escaping things – but the whole sedative-though-a-drip thing really fucked me up."

"There's no need to thank me," Raven replied, bemused.

"Yeah, well I know how much you wanted to avoid the guy even if I didn't know why and now I know why, well…" Deciding she wasn't making much sense and should just shut up while she was ahead Jinx leaned forward and kissed her instead, savouring the feeling of Raven's soft lips against hers – something that she'd worried more than once she'd never get to feel again.

Raven seemed to be thinking a similar thing, and neither of them wanted to pull back, Raven's hand moving to hold onto Jinx's shoulder as though it were a lifeline. The thief moved to sit on her knees as she let Raven pull her closer, leaning her weight forward on her hands, positioned either side of the woman's shoulders against the headboard.

"Cy wants an answer now, not tomorrow and Raven thank god you're-"Beast Boy had strolled into the infirmary, coming to a standstill as he came into sight of the bed Raven was occupying. Jinx pulled back and both girls looked round in time to see the changeling do a U-turn and head back towards the door. "I'll just come back later."

Jinx grinned and got off the bed as she called out to Beast Boy, "It's cool. I'm going to find Cy anyway, before he has a fit."

Beast Boy turned around, doing his best to look anywhere but at the two women as Jinx quickly kissed the empath before walking past him and leaving the infirmary.

Looking at Raven and doing his very best to ignore the burning feeling of his face the shape shifter waggled his eyebrows at her. "So what's it like dating one of the bad guys?"

"My head is killing me and everything hurts – I am not in the mood for your jokes," Raven quickly warned him.

"It's nice to see you too," Beast Boy grinned. "Can I give you a hug or is that going too far?"

"You don't usually ask."

"I figured if you're feeling rough you're more likely to get angry and toss me out a window or something." He sat on the edge of the bed in the spot Jinx had vacated. "So how many lesbians does it take to change a lightbulb?"

"I thought you didn't want to be thrown out of a window," Raven replied with a glare. After a moment her expression softened. "Is there any chance of you being serious for a minute?"

"I dunno. It depends. Why?"

"Everyone else has brought the topic up, and I'm not going to lie – maybe I do care what you think as my friends even if only a little."

"I'm gonna go ahead and assume you're talking about your girlfriend?" Beast Boy asked, before shrugging. "It's kinda crazy and totally unexpected. And I mean, it's _Jinx_. But hey, least it's not a Dragon, right? And she might be a spiteful, egocentric bitch most of the time but at least we _know_ her. Sort of." Raven frowned at that, but didn't argue, having to admit that the green changeling was right to a point. After all, had Jinx actually gone through with her plan – the reason they were together in the first place – that was exactly what she would have been calling the hex caster, if not something much worse. "You feel like joining us for dinner?"

"Cyborg's letting me leave the infirmary?" Raven asked hopefully.

"Yup. Told me to unhook all the machines, though he still wants to keep the catheter in, just in case."

"He doesn't want to run any final checks?"

"Not right now. But this is all on one condition."

Raven frowned. "What?"

"You don't go anywhere alone. And he told me to illiterate the _anywhere_ bit. If you were anyone else he said you'd be bed bound for the next four days if not longer and he didn't really like the idea but Robin pushed it forward for you."

"Robin did say he'd ask when he came to see me earlier today," Raven nodded.

"So, I got your word of honour?"

"…when you say anywhere?"

"Anywhere round Titans Tower. I think if you tried to go out Cy would flip out," Beast Boy grinned.

"Even the bathroom?" Raven asked incredulously

The young man blushed. "I'd ah… check with Cyborg on that one. He didn't exactly specify on that one."

"…_Fine_. I don't care. I'm fed up of seeing these walls."

"You've only been awake for a day," Beast Boy smiled as he stood and moved round to the left side of the bed.

"And apparently I've been in here for a month. A month too long."

After unhooking Raven from the heart monitor and moving the IV stand back against the wall he gave Raven the freedom to stand. "If you need any help don't be stubborn – ask."

The empath scowled at him as she slowly swung her legs down, the floor tiles cold against her bare feet. The joints in her legs protested as she stood, pain flaring up in both her right hip and left leg. Her back joined in on the protest as she straightened up and for a minute she just stood there, her eyes closed. She wasn't sure she'd be able to walk very far and would have levitated if she hadn't drained herself dry while healing.

Not needing Raven to say anything to notice her struggle, Beast Boy moved to stand next to her. "You can lean on me if you want. Take some of the weight of your legs."

"I'm fine," she replied stubbornly, but still didn't move. Walking was no longer the issue – it was taking all her willpower just trying to stay standing when her body screamed at her to sit down again to ease some of the pain.

Beast Boy decided to humour her, and with a cheery "if you say so," he started to walk to hold the door open for her, not getting far before Raven relented.

"Okay I'm not fine." She couldn't make herself ask her teammate for help but she didn't need to as he walked back over, standing on her left side and putting his arm round her back. Reluctantly Raven put her arm around the changeling's shoulder and let him take her weight before she tried to step forward.

"I _can_ carry you, if you want," Beast Boy offered, worried.

"No!" Raven snapped, before repeating in a softer voice. "No, thank you. I'll manage."

* * *

**I did my best to proof-read this, however we all know my spelling and grammar isn't the best in the world (or anywhere close) so I apologise for any mistakes. **

**Thanks for reading. Reviews are always appretiated and so long as you're signed in, you WILL get a reply.**


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